Adjustable beds offer the advantage of allowing a user to orient themselves between a horizontal position and an inclined position. Typically the adjustable bed comprises a motorized frame that has a pivot joint so that one portion of the frame can move relative to the other portion of the frame. A motor rotates the movable portion of the frame about the pivot point, causing the frame to move into an inclined position. A conventional mattress is typically placed on the frame and the mattress is sufficiently resilient and flexible to bend as the frame inclines and declines.
Although adjustable beds work well and are very common in certain environments, such as hospital rooms, certain issues have slowed their adoption in other environments. One particular problem is that the resiliency of the conventional mattress tends to return the mattress to its flat orientation whenever the user's weight is taken off the mattress. Thus, each time the user exits a bed when the bed is inclined, the mattress tries to return to its original shape. This causes the mattress to pull away from the frame so that the center of the mattress is lifted off the frame. The result is unsightly and annoying as the lifting pulls the covers off the bed and throws any reading materials or other objects onto the floor. Moreover, King size mattresses can partially lift off the frame when even one user exits the bed. This causes the remaining user discomfort as the mattress begins to rise up off the frame and over the user, causing the user to feel like they are sitting in a hole. Unsurprisingly, adjustable bed users find these issues to be very undesirable drawbacks.
Solutions to this problem have included using specially designed mattresses that have multiple segments that correspond to the pivot points of the bed frame. Thus, when the frame pivots, the mattress pivots as well and there is no tendency for the mattress to return to its original shape when the user takes their weight off the mattress. Although these mattresses can work well, they are typically less comfortable than a conventional single-segment mattress and often wear out at the pivot points.
Thus there is a need in the art for improved mattresses that can be used with adjustable beds and that reduce or eliminate the tendency to lift off the frame when the user exits the bed.